Control device



CONTROL DEVI CE Filed Sept. 13, 1926 July 5, 1932.

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INVENTOR WITNESSES:

' Jo/m Kerrz'yan ffl b erz P027;

J ly 5, 9 J. KERRIGAN ET AL 1,866,357

CONTROL DEVICE Filed Sept. 15, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 INVENTOR i Jo/m Kerri an fllsberl Poi/ Patented July 5, 1932 STATES PATENT oFFIc JOHN KERRIGAN, 0F SWISSVALE, AND- ALBERT ROTH, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYL- ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COM- PANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA VANIA, ASSIGNORS TO WESTINGHOUSE CONTROL DEVICE Application filed September 13, 1926. Serial No. 134,988.

Our invention relates to control devices, and it has particular relation to devices for remotely controlling the movement of loopantennae, the rotors of variable condensers, and similar mechanism employed in radio receiving a paratus.

It is an 0 ject of our invention to provide a control device that may be operated from the exterior of a radio receiving set cabinet to efiect the rotation of a portion of the ap aratus in the interior thereof.

nother object of our invention is to provide means for controlling, from the eXterior of a radio receiving set cabinet, the angular position of a loop-antenna in the interior thereof. 7

Another object of our invention is to provide, in a device of the type referred to, means whereby the controlling element is prevented from assuming dead-center positions.

Another object of our invention is to pro vide, in a device of the type referred to,

means whereby continuous rotation of the g thereof, Wlll best be understood by reference controlled element may be efiected.

It has been customary in the past, when employing loop-antennae as radiant energy receptors, to mount such antennae eXteriorly of the receiving set cabinet, and effect the rotation thereof by direct manual contact withthe loop-supporting structure. When extremely sensitive receiving systems are employed, such as the superheterodyne system, it is feasible, however, to greatly reduce the over-all'dimensions of the loop, and to mount it on suitable bearings in the interior of the receiving set cabinet. With the loop mounted in the cabinet, it is, of course, desirable'that the means for effecting its rotation should be positioned on the front panel of such cabinet, within easy reach of the person operating the set. I

Various schemes involving trains ofgears, universal joints, link motions, etc., have been proposed for this purpose, substantially all able when arranged for 360 rotation of the loop, the control means tending to occasionally assume a dead-center position.

By our invention we have provided two connecting rods. between the control means and the loop, the extremities of the rods t being spaced 90 apart circumferentially of the control means and 90 apart on an element affiXed to the loop and arranged vertically to the axis thereof. We have also .so

modified the lower supporting bearing of the loop structure that a rotation of the loop through more than 360 may be effected, if desirable.

The novel features which are considered characteristic of our invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims."

Our invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, to-

ethe'r with further objects and advantages to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein V Figure 1 is an elevational view of a preferred embodiment of our invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along a line corresponding to the line 11-11 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an elevational view of an alternative form.

Referring specifically to Figs. 1 and :2, a I

receiving set cabinet, having a top panel .1,"

a bottom panel 2 and a front panel 3 provided with an opening 4 therethrough, has rotatably mounted therein a loopantenna support comprising a central per cross-arm 6, ailower cross-arm 7, and braces 8. A centering device 9 aflixed to the upper panel 1 maintains the shaft 5 in an up rightposition, while the weight thereof is carried by a spacing'mem'ber 11 mounted on shaft 5, an up-,

the shaft below the lower cross-arm, which spacing member rests on and is supported by a U-shaped bracket 12. The U-shaped bracket is provided with an opening 13 through the upper portion thereof. The lower end 14 of the shaft 5 passes through this opening, and is maintained in position by a pin 16 passing through a hub portion 15 of an actuating element 25, The U-shaped element is mounted onthe lower panel of the cabinet, and is held in position by a bolt 17.

A continuous conductor 18 is wound around the cross-arms, the ends 19 and 21 of the con ductor being passed through openings in the spacing member 11 and the lower end of the shaft and mounted on an insulating terminal board 22' affixed by a plurality of rivets 23 to the rear portion of the u shaped member 12.

A plurality of circular elements 24 are carried by the spacing member 11, these circular elements serving to prevent the ends ,19 and 21 from coming in contact with each other as the loop is rotated.

The lower end 14 of the shaft, carries the actuating element 25 which is provided with the hub 15 that may be of any desired contour. The actuating element carries, at a point near its periphery, a pin 26 and a second pin 27 is also carried by the actuating element at a point spaced 90 from the first pin.

A supporting element 28 is riveted to the under side of the lower portion of the U- shaped bracket by means of rivets 29, and extends towards the front panel 3 of the cabinet. Adjacent the front panel the end of supporting element 28 is bent upward and then downward parallel to the main portion thereof, to provide a support for a control disc 30, which is rotatably mounted on a bearing pin 31 carried thereby. The disc 30 pro- 7 ects through the opening 4 in the front panel.

A bolt 32 passes through the lower panel 2 and into an opening in the main portion of the supporting element 28, serving to maintain it firmly in position.

The control disc is provided with a pin 33 corresponding to the pin 26 carried by the actuating member, and a second pin 34 corresponding to the pin 27, these pins also being spaced 90 apart.

A rod 35 connects the pin 26 to the pin 33, the rod being spaced from the actuating element by a thin washer 36 and from the control disc by a thick washer 37 A second rod 38 connects the pin 27 to the pin 34, this rod being spaced from the actuating member by a Washer 39 of the same thickness as the thick washer separating the first-mentioned pitman-rod from the control disc, and being spaced from the control disc by a thin washer 41 of the same thickness as the first-mentioned thin washer.

It will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 2 that the pins on both actuating member and control disc are spaced 45 away from the center-line connecting the axes of rotation of the member and disc, and are also in analogous space relation to the respectlve axes. I

In the operation of the form of our invention just described, rotary movements of the control disc are transmitted to the actuating element by both connecting rods. These rods, being parallel, and being separated vertically by a distance equal to the difference in thickness between the thick and thin washers, do not interfere with each other. One of the connecting rods is always off-center with respect to the line between the axes of rotation of the loop and the control disc, rendering it impossible for the device to assume a dead-center position.

A rotation of approximately 330 is possible before the rods come in contact with one or the other of the thick washers, this angular movement being amply suflicient for most purposes.

If, for any reason, it is desired that the loop be capable of rotation through more than 360, the modification of our invention shown in Fig. 3 may be employed. In this figure, the elements equivalent to the elements illustrated in Fig. 1 are similarly numbered.

In order to permit the actuating element to be rotated past the points where the thick washers strike against the connecting rods, it is necessary that the connecting rods deviate from parallelism with the actuating element. To accomplish this, we have lengthened the vertical portion of the U-shaped bracket a slight amount, and have eliminated both of the thick spacing washers, substituting thin washers 42 therefor. The ends 43 of the connecting rods 35 have been suitably bent to afford horizontal portions through which extend the pins 26 and 27 mounted on the actuating element 25, and the pins 33 and 34 mounted on the control disc 29.

By reason of the angular relation of the connecting rods to the actuating member and to the control disc, it will be apparent that the rods will always clear the pins when the control disc is rotated, thus permitting continuous rotation of the loop, if desired. Obviously, in the form of our invention illustrated, a stop device (not shown) should be provided to prevent the loop from being r0- tated suificiently to break the conductors 19 and 21. If continuous rotation is desired, the supporting member should carry means permitting a wiping contact with fixed conducting brushes mounted on the terminal board. This modification, being believed obvious, is not illustrated.

In the manufacture of our device, the supporting element 28 may be permanently mounted on the U-shaped bracket, or may be integral therewith, the entire assembly of loop, bracket and control disc then being capable of being inserted as a unit into a radio cabinet.

Inasmuch as the angular movement of the control disc is always equal to the angular movement of the loop, such disc may be provided with markings indicating the orientation of the loop with respect to the points of the compass when the cabinet as a whole is oriented in a predetermined manner. The process of aligning the loop with any given station is thus greatly simplified. It is also feasible to provide the control disc with a movable scale carrying indicia corresponding to compass points, rendering it unnecessary to exactly orient the receiving set cabinet per so.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that our control device is not limited to use in connection with a loop-antenna, but may be utilized to control the movement of variable condensers, Variable inductors, and like apparatus, from a remote position.

Although we have illustrated and described certain specific forms of our invention, we are aware that many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Our invention is, therefore, not to be limited except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In combination, a cabinet having a panel, a control-disc partially projecting through an opening in said panel, a loopantenna rotatably mounted in said cabinet, a plurality of substantially straight connecting elements disposed in parallelism between said disc and said loop, whereby angular movements of the disc are transferred to the loop to cause rotation thereof.

2. In combination, a loop-antenna supporting shaft, a furcated bearing device on one furcation of which the shaft is rotatably mounted, means carried by another of the furcations for supporting a rotatable control member, an actuating element carried by the shaft, the plane of the actuating element being substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of the control member, and a plurality of connections between said actuating element and said control member.

3. In combination, a panel, a loop-antenna rotatably mounted at a distance from said panel for rotation about an axis substantially parallel thereto, a rotatable disc partially projecting through the panel whereby said disc may be rotated by manual actuation of the pro ecting portion, and a plurality of mechanical connections whereby rotary moveinents of the disc may be transferred to the oop.

4. In combination, a loop-antenna supporting shaft, a bearing device having an opening through which an end of said shaft projects, an actuating element afiixed to the projecting trol member to corresponding points on said actuating element for transferring angular motion therebetween.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 30th day of August,

JOHN KERRIGAN. ALBERT ROTH. 

